UCF's farewell tour continues Saturday with a final stop in Memphis.
The Knights and Tigers have played nearly every season since 2005, but those games will be coming to an end with UCF joining the Big 12 next year.
For the preview, I was joined by John Maddox of Tiger Sports Report.
UCF has maintained an overwhelming advantage in the series - winning 13 games in a row between 2005 and 2018 - but the last trip to the Liberty Bowl snapped the streak. UCF scored 49 points with nearly 800 yards of total offense, but the Tigers prevailed with a 50-49 victory when a late UCF field goal attempt was missed.
It was long due for Memphis, who saw UCF win several games in dramatic fashion. There was the Blake Bortles-led team in 2013 with the big stick from Will Stanback on kickoff coverage, forcing a fumble for a touchdown and UCF ultimately winning 24-17.
One will never forget the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship Game, a wild back-and-forth 62-55 double overtime win that clinched UCF's spot in the Peach Bowl.
And the two crazy games in 2018, including the regular season matchup in Memphis (31-30) featuring the "Let's Go Bone" 4th-and-1 Taj McGowan touchdown run and the AAC title game (56-41) when backup quarterback Darriel Mack Jr., playing the first game since McKenzie Milton's devastating leg injury, led UCF to a dramatic comeback.
To start off, we talked a bit about the history of the series and how Memphis fans view UCF. We touch on conference realignment. I wanted Memphis in the Big 12, but the Tigers were left behind. They haven't given up hope for perhaps a second round of realignment and are working to upgrade the Liberty Bowl.
Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield, a former graduate assistant, is now in his third year in charge. He had an 8-3 record in 2020, 6-6 in 2021 and 4-4 so far this season. How do Memphis fans view Silverfield? The Tigers had been considered among the premier teams in the AAC, but have fallen off a bit the past couple years.
We talked about this year's Memphis team. The Tigers have lost three in a row, which were brutal in different ways. They blew leads against Houston and ECU and were drubbed by Tulane, which is a sore spot for Memphis fans.
Maddox gave the lowdown on quarterback Seth Henigan (the AAC's third-leading passer) and players to watch both offensively and defensively.
Lastly, Maddox gave his food recommendations for those coming to Memphis. He named his three favorite barbecue spots: Central BBQ, The Bar-B-Q Shop and Memphis Barbecue Company. For breakfast, he likes Big Bad Breakfast. And definitely Gus' Fried Chicken.
